Rita McGrath

They do have to work together. And I don't know about your workplace, but I think about my place. I mean, I work for a 250-year-old plus university. It's had a lot of time to collect cobwebs and stuff that's in the corners. And what's in those closets? Nobody's looked for 35 years. And so if you imagine a world where maybe every quarter you just announce a day or two of simplification.

They do have to work together. And I don't know about your workplace, but I think about my place. I mean, I work for a 250-year-old plus university. It's had a lot of time to collect cobwebs and stuff that's in the corners. And what's in those closets? Nobody's looked for 35 years. And so if you imagine a world where maybe every quarter you just announce a day or two of simplification.

They do have to work together. And I don't know about your workplace, but I think about my place. I mean, I work for a 250-year-old plus university. It's had a lot of time to collect cobwebs and stuff that's in the corners. And what's in those closets? Nobody's looked for 35 years. And so if you imagine a world where maybe every quarter you just announce a day or two of simplification.

We're just going to stop doing stupid stuff that everybody knows doesn't really contribute to value. but that we're doing anyway. And that's kind of a really mini version of disengagement, but I think it's valuable and it's not expensive and it's something you could do wherever you are in your organization.

We're just going to stop doing stupid stuff that everybody knows doesn't really contribute to value. but that we're doing anyway. And that's kind of a really mini version of disengagement, but I think it's valuable and it's not expensive and it's something you could do wherever you are in your organization.

We're just going to stop doing stupid stuff that everybody knows doesn't really contribute to value. but that we're doing anyway. And that's kind of a really mini version of disengagement, but I think it's valuable and it's not expensive and it's something you could do wherever you are in your organization.

It is. It is. So can I tell you one of my favorite stories about this? This is a story of the Postal Service, which is an unlikely place to look for, you know, really interesting management innovations, but so be it. So I had a gentleman in my class who worked for the Postal Service and The branch that he was manager of had this giant analog machine.

It is. It is. So can I tell you one of my favorite stories about this? This is a story of the Postal Service, which is an unlikely place to look for, you know, really interesting management innovations, but so be it. So I had a gentleman in my class who worked for the Postal Service and The branch that he was manager of had this giant analog machine.

It is. It is. So can I tell you one of my favorite stories about this? This is a story of the Postal Service, which is an unlikely place to look for, you know, really interesting management innovations, but so be it. So I had a gentleman in my class who worked for the Postal Service and The branch that he was manager of had this giant analog machine.

It would sort and stack and people knew how to use it. And it sort of occupied the middle of the facility. And everybody that was in the place worked with this machine. And they decided that they needed to become more digital. And this big machine was going to get replaced by a bunch of smaller units that could do more specific things.

It would sort and stack and people knew how to use it. And it sort of occupied the middle of the facility. And everybody that was in the place worked with this machine. And they decided that they needed to become more digital. And this big machine was going to get replaced by a bunch of smaller units that could do more specific things.

It would sort and stack and people knew how to use it. And it sort of occupied the middle of the facility. And everybody that was in the place worked with this machine. And they decided that they needed to become more digital. And this big machine was going to get replaced by a bunch of smaller units that could do more specific things.

And it was going to cost less and it would be less vulnerable to breakdowns and everything. So the machine was supposed to be decommissioned over the course of a weekend. So you can imagine his surprise when Thursday night, a group of his people come to him and he said, boss, yeah, well, we want to talk to you about the machine. And he's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, we spent months on this.

And it was going to cost less and it would be less vulnerable to breakdowns and everything. So the machine was supposed to be decommissioned over the course of a weekend. So you can imagine his surprise when Thursday night, a group of his people come to him and he said, boss, yeah, well, we want to talk to you about the machine. And he's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, we spent months on this.

And it was going to cost less and it would be less vulnerable to breakdowns and everything. So the machine was supposed to be decommissioned over the course of a weekend. So you can imagine his surprise when Thursday night, a group of his people come to him and he said, boss, yeah, well, we want to talk to you about the machine. And he's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, we spent months on this.

We've talked, we've all agreed. You've all said it was good. And the people said to him, oh yeah, yeah, we get it. We're totally, we're ready to move on. It's just, you know, that machine has been a big part of our lives for a long period of time. A lot of us started working here when we were 18, you know, and that machine has been there every day.

We've talked, we've all agreed. You've all said it was good. And the people said to him, oh yeah, yeah, we get it. We're totally, we're ready to move on. It's just, you know, that machine has been a big part of our lives for a long period of time. A lot of us started working here when we were 18, you know, and that machine has been there every day.

We've talked, we've all agreed. You've all said it was good. And the people said to him, oh yeah, yeah, we get it. We're totally, we're ready to move on. It's just, you know, that machine has been a big part of our lives for a long period of time. A lot of us started working here when we were 18, you know, and that machine has been there every day.

It's just, you know, and it's going to be a big change for us. And they said, well, we want to say goodbye. And he's like, you want to say goodbye to a machine? They said, yeah. So they decided they wanted to have an Irish wake.

It's just, you know, and it's going to be a big change for us. And they said, well, we want to say goodbye. And he's like, you want to say goodbye to a machine? They said, yeah. So they decided they wanted to have an Irish wake.